1. (a) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a system and method for providing a support for a work piece; the support being from the end of a milling vise mounted on the table of a vertical mill. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, to an attachment and method for creating parts using a vertical mill by mounting an extension piece that creates a surface at a distance from the edge of the mill table and allows the mounting of a support surface that extends from the edge of the mill table.
2. (b) Discussion of Known Art
The machining of components often requires the cutting down of surfaces and then the drilling or working of other features into the work piece. Perhaps one of the most useful machining devices for working articles from metal, wood, or other raw material, is the use of a mill. An important milling device is the vertical mill, which includes a table on which a work piece is mounted as the mill is brought down to machine the desired features on the work piece.
An important factor to consider while using a mill or other machining equipment is the time required to set up the machinery to support the work piece at a desired position so that it can receive the mill tool and allow machining of the surfaces of the work piece. Also of importance is the fact that if a particular operation cannot be carried out with a specific piece of equipment, a suitable machine must be found. This can be a problem in a machine shop where equipment is assigned for specific jobs, and the set-up and take-down times can play important roles in selecting when a particular piece of equipment is used to machine a particular work piece.
The usefulness of the vertical mill is well recognized. However, an unfortunate drawback of the use of a vertical mill is the fact that the mill is somewhat limited in that the work piece must fit between the mill tool, which is mounted on the head of the mill, and the table. This distance is further shortened by the fact that the work piece must be held in place with the use of a vise that attaches to the surface of the table.
To enhance the versatility of the vertical mill, many devices for enlarging the width of the grip of a mill vise have been developed. This includes devices such as attachment taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,197,721 to Ruberg, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,629 to Carlson. Other vises or gripping devices that may be used to support a work piece can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,097 to Womack, U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,997 to Montgomery, U.S. Pat. No. 4,928,937 to Bernstein, U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,183 to Krason et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,901 to Woods et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,186,706 to De Felice, U.S. Pat. No. 2,274,428 to Odin, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,145 to Bahorik.
A significant problem that presents itself while working on a vertical mill is the problem of achieving the desired clearance between the mill head or tool and the work piece. Therefore, for example, if a technician is working on a long, cylindrical work piece which requires the machining of flat surfaces on its sides, and the drilling of a hole in one of its ends, the technician may be able to carry out all of the necessary operations on the side of the work piece, but then have to move to another machine, such as a lathe or drill, to add the hole on the end. This may require special attention to scheduling of these other machines, and may result in lost productivity for the shop.
Thus, there is a need for a device that allows use of the mill on parts or work pieces that are larger, at least in the direction of the work to be done, than the distance between the tool on the mill head and the vise mounted on the table.
Still further, there remains a need for a device that allows a technician to expand the number of operations that may be carried out on a particular machine, such as the vertical mill.
It has been discovered that the problems left unanswered by known art can be solved by providing a system that allows support of a work piece from the body of a vise, the vise being attached to the bed of a mill, the system or device includes:
1) an extender block that attaches to one of the jaws of the vise; and
2) an angular surface plate attached to the extender block. The angular surface plate providing a surface that extends along a plane that extends next to the bed of the mill.
It is important to note that, as used herein, the phrase xe2x80x9cangular surface platexe2x80x9d is intended to describe the fact that the plate includes xe2x80x9cangular surfacesxe2x80x9d or surfaces at an angle to one another.
According to a highly preferred embodiment of the invention the angular surface plate is fastened to the extender block and provides a vertical surface that extends along a plane that is normal to the plane of the bed of the mill. According to a highly preferred embodiment of the invention, the angular surface plate extends below the plane of the bed of the mill. Additionally, it is contemplated that the angular surface plate will include attachments or attachment points that allow the user to modify the angular surface plate by adding guide plates or attachments for supporting other tools. Thus, it is contemplated that the angular surface plate will serve to position and support a work piece beyond the edge and below the surface of the bed of the mill.
The cooperation of the angular surface plate and the extender block is preferably accomplished through the use of guide pins or alignment dowel-type components that allow the angular surface plate to be precisely positioned and held against the extender block.
Thus, it will be understood that the disclosed invention adds versatility to the mill vise and saves valuable time in the set-up of a work piece. It will be appreciated that the disclosed invention allows the mill to be used to machine parts that, until now, could not be efficiently supported between the bed and the head of the mill to allow the mill to be used in machining these large parts.
Furthermore, it will be understood that the disclosed components are examples of the best method currently devised for assembling a versatile tool that allows extension of the mill vise and imparts additional usefulness to the vertical mill.
It will become apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art that the disclosed invention also includes a method for machining work pieces that ordinarily would not fit between the bed and the head of the mill. The disclosed invention allows the user to attach a particularly large, or long work piece immediately next to the bed, so that the work piece extends below the surface of the plane of the bed. The head of the mill would then be brought over the work piece and the milling operations carried out on the work piece.
Further, it will be appreciated that the disclosed invention is particularly useful in conjunction with a vertical mill, whether the mill is of the column-and-knee type or the fixed-bed type of milling machine. In the fixed bed applications, the disclosed invention greatly improves the versatility of the mill, allowing the mill to be used for a larger variety of parts and milling operations.
Thus, it should be understood that while the above and other advantages and results of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, showing the contemplated novel construction, combinations and elements as herein described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it should also be clearly understood that changes in the precise embodiments of the herein disclosed invention are meant to be included within the scope of the claims, except insofar as they may be precluded by the prior art.